Cases for containing cigarettes and cigars



July 13, 1965 M. FISCHER CASES FOR CONTAINING CIGARETTES AND CIGARS Filed Dec 19, 1961 United States Patent 3,194,394 CASES FOR CONTAINING CIGARETTES AND CIGARS Morris Fischer, 11 his Rue Meyerbeer, Nice, France Filed Dec. 19, 1961, Ser. No. 160,543 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Nov. 16, 1961, 13,345/ 61 7 Claims. (Cl. 20641.2)

This invention relates to cases for containing cigarettes and cigars particularly of small diameter such as the socalled cigarillos.

It is an object of the invention to provide a case to be used in one hand from which cigarettes and cigars may be extracted one at a time and taken by the lips without being touched by other hand.

Another object of the invention is to provide a case with displaceable means normally closing the orifice through which a cigarette or cigar may be extracted, which means may be easily displaced as by the thumb of hand manipulating the case.

Another object of the invention is to provide a case in which only one cigarette or cigar can come opposite the extraction orifice through which it may be partly expelled on shaking the case.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a case having a .wall which is at least in part transparent so that the contents may be checked.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a case with a charging opening in which may be located a closure element.

The foregoing and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustr-ate, by way of example embodiments and features of the case according to the invention.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of case,

FIG.

FIG.

2 is a plan view looking down on FIG. 1, 3 is a plan view of a second embodiment of case, 4 is a plan view of a third embodiment of case,

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of case,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a detail of a fifth embodiment of case,

FIG. 7 is an elevation of a sixth embodiment of case, and

FIG. 8 is an under-plan view of a seventh embodiment of case.

The case shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a lateral wall 1 defining the container space, a base 2 closing an end of such space and an upper wall 3 closing the other end of such a space and provided at one of its ends 4 with an orifice 5. This case is intended to contain cigarettes or cigars, particularly of small diameter such as so called Cigarillos, 6 and the diameter of the orifice 5 is slightly larger than the diameter of such cigarettes and cigars so that they may easily come out of the case through the orifice 5. The lateral wall 1 of the case delines a space the Width of which decreases from one side '7 to the other side 4 such that in the vicinity of the orifice 5 the width of the said space is less than twice the diameter of a cigarette or cigar 6. Due to this dimensioning of the space defined by the lateral wall 1 in the vicinity of the orifice 5, it happens that when the case is tilted so that the side where the orifice 5 is located is lowermost, the cigarettes or cigars 6 brought down by their own weight towards the wall portion adjacent the orifice 5 can only come one at a time opposite the orifice 5. A cigarette or cigar may be extracted by shaking the case so that it partly projects through the orifice 5.

In a second embodiment, see FIG. 3, the case likewise has a lateral 'wall 1, a base 2, and an upper wall 3 provided with an orifice 5, but here the space is of constant width and the restriction to a single cigarette or cigar 6 coming opposite the orifice 5 is obtained by means of a plate 8 fixed, for example glued, onto the inner face of the lateral wall 1 in proximity to the orifice 5, this plate 8 making the width of that portion of the space defined by the lateral wall 1 less than twice the diameter of a cigarette or a cigar 6.

Thus, it will be seen that in the cigarette case of the present invention the space in alignment with the dispensing orifice contains only one cigarette, and the space immediately adjacent, or ollset from, the orifice contains a plurality of cigarettes, only one of which contacts the cigarette which is in alignment with the orifice. The cigarettes in the last-mentioned space must lie in a staggered arrangement due to the width of the case being less than twice the diameter of a cigarette and, therefore, only one cigarette at a time tends to pass into alignment with the orifice after a cigarette has been dispensed.

According to a third embodiment, illustrated in FIG, 4, there is provided in the upper wall 3 an opening 9, covered with transparent material, which permits checking the number of cigarettes or cigars 6 remaining in the case.

The case could also be made with an upper wall 3 made completely of transparent material.

In order to be able to close the orifice 5 it may be arranged, see FIG. 5, to provide the upper wall 3 with a small plate .10 matching the shape of the wall 3 which is rotatably mounted on the latter by means of a rivet 11 forming a pivot.

The closing of the orifice 5 may likewise be obtained, as illustrated in FIG. 6, by means of a hinged plate 12 located, for example, on the edge of the upper wall 3. A mirror, not shown, may be applied to the inside face of the plate 13.

According to the sixth embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, the lateral wall 1 of the case is cut back adjacent the orifice 5 to provide a longitudinal opening 14, extending the orifice 5 of the upper wall 3 to allow the end 15 of a cigarette or of a cigar 6 to project out of the case without requiring shaking thereof.

The case may also be so made that the base 2; has a charging opening 16, FIG. 8, adapted to be closed by a screw cap 17 the said opening 16 permitting of re-filling the case when it is empty.

The case may be made of sheet material having a vegetable, plastic or organic material structure or base or be made of metal.

The case, in the various embodiments shown, may contain ten or twenty cigarettes or Small diameter cigars and has the advantage of being capable of being made of a single sheet of material cut, folded and glued or welded. In addition this case may be easily used in one hand since it suffices to tilt it in order to bring a cigarette or a cigar opposite the orifice 5 and, after displacing the closure member 10, 12 when such is provided as by means of the thumb, then to shake it slightly to cause the cigarette or the cigar to come partially out of the orifice 5 so that it may then be taken between the lips without it being necessary to touch the cigarette or cigar with the other hand which is an advantage from the point of view of hygiene.

I claim:

1. A package of cylindrical tobacco products of uniform size which may be dispensed therefrom one at a time, said package comprising: a continuous lateral wall having two spaced-apart sections defining a space, a storage portion of which has a width such that at least two rows of said tobacco products are stored therein in parallel, generally coextensive relationship; firstand second: end walls disposed transversely of said tobacco products and joined to said lateral wall, one of said end walls having a dispensing aperture of a size slightly larger than the diameter of one of said tobacco products so as to permit only'one of said tobacco products to pass there through at a time, said space having a dispensing portion of a width and breadth'such thatonly oneof said tobacco products is contained therein, said aperture being in alignment with and communicating with said dispensing portion, saidspace further having an intermediateportion immediately adjacentand continuous with said dispensing portion and said storage portion,;.said intermediate;

portion having a plurality of tobacco .products therein only one of which is in contact with the tobacco product in said dispensing portion, the Width .of said. intermediate. portion at the location of the tobacco product. therein being less than twice the diameter-of the tobacco product so that tobacco products in said intermediate portion must assume a staggered arrangement whereby, upon removal of a tobacco product through said dispensing aperture, only one tobacco product tends topass from said intermediate portion to said dispensing portion there-= location of said dispensing aperture being. substantially the width'of said aperture.

3. A package as in claim Q wherein said lateral wall includes a. semi-cylindrical section integralwith said di-j verging surfacesythe diameter. of said semi-cylindrical portion being slightly'larger than the diameter of said tobacco products and being' in alignment with said dis? pensing aperture.

4. package. as in'clairn 1 wherein .sa'idone end Wallf. 5 is constructed atleast partly of transparentgmaterialiv 5.iA-package;saspin claiml includingaclosure plate normallyv closing said dispensing aperture .and. hingedly' connected to said one end wall for movement away from said aperture; i

1 0 6QIApackage as .in claims; wherein said one end wall terminates at approximately; the junction-of said dispensing portion with said" intermediate portion'thereby definingsaid dispensing aperture and wherein; said lateral.

wall is" cut back'at said junction totexposefian. end of the 15 tobaccolproduct in said "dispensing portion. e

7. A package as in claim 1 wherein a-plat e is secure along one of its edges to the. inner.- surface of one of said Y lateral wall sections at a location near said dispensing orifice, saidmplatet projecting toward the otherlateral 20' wall section and defining the width of said intermediate- THERo coNpo r mai Exa minerr V EARLE J. EDRUMMOND, GEORGE o. :RALSTON,

, Examiners; 5 

1. A PACKAGE OF CYLINDRICAL TOBACCO PRODUCTS OF UNIFORM SIZE WHICH MAY BE DISPENSED THEREFROM ONE AT A TIME, SAID PACKAGE COMPRISING: A CONTINUOUS LATERAL WALL HAVING TWO SPACED-APART SECTIONS DEFINING A SPACE, A STORAGE PORTION OF WHICH HAS A WIDTH SUCH THAT AT LEAST TWO ROWS OF SAID TOBACCO PRODUCTS ARE STORED THEREIN IN PARALLEL, GENERALLY COEXTENSIVE RELATIONSHIP; FIRST AND SECOND ENDF WALLS DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY OF SID TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND JOINED TO SAID LATERAL WALL, ONE OF SAID END WALLS HAVING A DISPENSING APERTURE OF A SIZE SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THE DIAMETER OF ONE OF SAID TOBACCO PRODUCTS SO AS TO PERMIT ONLY ONE OF SAID TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO PASS THERETHROUGH AT A TIME, SAID SPACE HAVING A DISPENSING PORTION OF A WIDTH AND BREADTH SUCH THAT ONLY ONE OF SAID TOBACCO PRODUCTS IS CONTAINED THEREIN, SAID APERTURE BEING IN ALIGNMENT WITH AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID DISPENSING PORTION, SAID SPACE FURTHER HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT AND CONTINUOUS WITH SAID DISPENSING PORTION HAVING A PLURALITY OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS THEREIN POR TION HAVING A PLURALITY OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS THEREIN ONLY ONE OF WHICH IS IN CONTACT WITH THE TOBACCO PRODUCT IN SAID DISPENSING PORTION, THE WIDTH OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION AT THE LOCATION OF THE TOBACCO PRODUCT THEREIN BEING LESS THAN TWICE THE DIAMETER OF THE TOBACCO PRODUCT SO THAT TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION MUST ASSUME A STAGGERED ARRANGEMENT WHEREBY, UPON REMOVAL OF A TOBACCO PRODUCT THROUGH SAID DISPENSING APERTURE, ONLY ONE TOBACCO PRODUCT TENDS TO PASS FROM SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION TO SAID DISPENSING PORTION THEREBY AVOIDING WEDGING OF THE TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION. 